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Kevin Schartner
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Kevin Schartner was a member of the Mehlville School District school board, At-large in Missouri.
Schartner ran for re-election to the Mehlville School District school board, At-large in Missouri. Schartner won in the general election on April 5, 2016.
Elections
2016
Two of the seven seats on the Mehlville School District school board were up for general election on April 5, 2016. Incumbents Lorie Trakas and Larry Felton filed for re-election. They faced challenger Kevin Schartner. Felton and Schartner won the two seats up for election.[1]
Results
| Mehlville School District, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kevin Schartner |
36.67% | 7,056 |
| Larry Felton Incumbent |
34.98% | 6,731 |
| Lorie Trakas Incumbent | 28.35% | 5,455 |
| Total Votes | 19,242 | |
| Source: St. Louis County, Missouri, "Summary Report General Municipal Election Unofficial Results," accessed April 5, 2016 | ||
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Kevin Schartner participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on March 22, 2016:
| “ | Increase community trust through meeting the Prop R commitments and improved communication. Improve early childhood through 3rd grade academic performance, college/career readiness and implement the "Choice School of Innovation". Ensure fiscal responsibility by focusing our resources on academics, eliminating waste and developing a long term capital needs financial plan.[2][3] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Missouri. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| “ | Student academic achievement is my top priority and fiscal responsibility is my second priority.[3] | ” |
| —Kevin Schartner (March 22, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. I would only support charter schools in a school district that is not meeting academic standards and where the school would make financial information public. Our district is doing very well and we do not need charter schools to meet any academic requirements. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| Yes. Although not perfect, standardized tests can give very helpful information about student achievement. They should be included as part of a student evaluation process. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| I believe there should be a common set of education standards and that control of the process to meet them should reside at the local level. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. I see offering additional training programs as a close second to setting up a mentor. We need to show respect for our teachers and give them every opportunity to improve the skills required to be a great teacher. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. I personally believe merit pay is a good way to reward employees who go "above and beyond" and get extraordinary results. I also understand this can be difficult to implement in the current teacher compensation program. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. If a school district is in a special circumstance where they are not meeting academic standards, vouchers may be a viable system to help children get the educational support they need. In general, I do not believe the state should give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Expulsion should be used as a last resort for serious offenses. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers All of these are very important but I believe teachers have the greatest influence over success in the classroom. Teachers have the ability to adjust how they teach a curriculum, can determine where extra attention is required, and can generally raise parent involvement if it is required. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Kevin Schartner' 'Mehlville School District'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Mandy Gillip, "Phone conversation with Sue Roesch, secretary to the Mehlville School District school board," January 20, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Kevin Schartner's responses," March 22, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 Mehlville School District Elections | |
| St. Louis County, Missouri | |
| Election date: | April 5, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Lorie Trakas • Incumbent, Larry Felton • Kevin Schartner |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
